Welcome!

Are you looking for a composer and guitarist who is sought after by world-class bands and producers for his dedication to making orchestral metal music? If the answer is yes, then you have come to the right place! ​

orchestralmetal.com is where you'll find me, Jon Phipps MA, a creative professional with a unique background and extensive experience in progressive music, who has worked with award-winning international artists that include Moonspell, Amorphis, and Angra.

Through years of studying modern classical and jazz at university, whilst also playing lead guitar and writing for progressive metal bands, I developed a unique approach to composition, which draws upon my diverse influences that span a multitude of genres and musical styles.

I have worked on albums produced by Jens Bogren (Fascination Street Studios, Sweden), contributing orchestral arrangements to ‘Extinct’ by Moonspell (Portugal); ‘Under the Red Cloud’ by Amorphis (Finland); ‘Secret Garden’ by Angra (Brazil); 'Reaching into Infinity' by Dragonforce (UK), and 'Hour of the Nightingale’ by Trees of Eternity (Sweden).

Additionally, I added virtual strings to compliment a live recording of a string quartet for the song 'I Loved it All' by The Gift (Portugal), which was produced by Brian Eno and Flood.

Through 2016 and 2017, I played a dual role in the creation of Moonspell's new concept album '1755'- as pre-producer, I re-crafted and refined the songs in collaboration with the band at their studio in Lisbon, and then I orchestrated and arranged symphonic and choral parts during the production process, with the album being mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen (Ant Farm Studios).

The album is about the cataclysmic earthquake that devastated Lisbon that year, which subsequently revolutionised perspectives on theology and philosophy throughout Europe. It will be released in November, 2017 on Napalm Records.

As well as this, I have collaborated with the bands Divine Disorder (Kuwait) and Terra Odium (Norway/USA) in a more involved creative capacity, making a guest appearance as a session lead guitarist for Divine Disorder and being a full-time member of Terra Odium.The first Terra Odium album (the band consists of members of Death, Spiral Architect, and Manitou) will be released later in 2017. ​Feel free to get in touch, so that we can geek out about awesome music, discuss rates and availability, and make your creative vision a reality! ​You can hear more of my orchestrations on the portfolio page.